Russian punks Pussy Riot have been arrested over their February protest at Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral. Beginning on 3 March, the day before the presidential election that saw Vladimir Putin return to power, six band members were charged in connection with hate crimes and violations of public order.

Two of the musicians remain in custody, where they have begun a hunger strike. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhin are protesting against the conditions of their arrest, which will see them kept behind bars until a late April hearing. They both have young children: Tolokonnikova has a four-year-old son and Alyokhin's daughter is five. The women "will starve in jail until they are returned to their children", Pussy Riot explained on their website.

If the accused are found guilty, they face up to seven years in prison. "These citizens were taken in on suspicion of committing a crime, one involving a gross violation of public order, including inciting religious hatred as part of a planned conspiracy," announced the government's press service. The band members claim they were interrogated for seven hours, beginning at 4am; the investigators allegedly revealed the case was being directed "from the highest levels", with a focus not just on Pussy Riot's protest but on "all anti-state activities".

Pussy Riot comprises 10 members and dozens of supporting "staff", who have helped organise guerrilla performances in Moscow. Notorious for their colourful balaclavas, miniskirts and tights, they criticise Russia's authoritarianism, pushing for judicial, educational and cultural reform. "Russia did not have enough explosive punk-feminist groups, pushing people to the development of a culture of protest," members explained to Gazeta.ru last month. "Our concerts were to become a pure protest saying: superheroes in balaclavas and acid bright tights seize public space in Moscow."

Pussy Riot's most famous flash gig took place at Christ the Saviour on 21 February. Five members broke into the Moscow cathedral, performing a "punk prayer" from the altar. This song, titled Holy Shit, was a condemnation of the Russian Orthodox church's close ties to Putin. "Holy Mother, Blessed Virgin," they sang, "chase Putin out!"

"Our patriarch is not ashamed of wearing watches worth $40,000, which is intolerable when so many families in Russia are on the edge of poverty," Pussy Riot explained. "Our position is to think critically, to doubt all 'natural' things, and find lies."